Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring
by Kettch1
Summary: *Chapter 14 up!* Another new chapter! The time has finally come... The battle for Hogwarts begins!
1. Ch 1: The Wrath Of Saruman

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic. Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowling and all Lord of the Rings characters belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. Sadly that means I do not own Smeagol/Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious… Also, in the first chapter there is a good deal of quotes taken word for word from LotR: The Two Towers. Tolkien wrote these lines, not me. The quotes will be marked by a * at the beginning and end of the quote.**

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ First chapter contains spoilers from the first two Lord of the Rings books/movies. This fanfic also contains spoilers from the previous four Harry Potter books. ~

  ------- Rated: PG-13 for some swearing, violence and a mild sexual reference. -------

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Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring ** ** Ch. 1: The Wrath Of Saruman 

_March 5th 3019 B.C. Middle-Earth_

Isengard… 

            The sky was cloudy above the tower of Orthanc in Isengard. Isengard had been overtaken and Saruman the White is being held captive. Several figures were gathered at the foot of the tower talking up to Saruman, who was standing above on a balcony. The group standing at the foot of the tower was quite an eclectic group. There were about twenty men standing a short way behind the group and they seemed to be in a sort of trance. At the front of the group stood Gandalf the White, formerly Gandalf the Grey, and with him were his companions: Aragorn son of Arathorn, Legolas the Elf, Gimli the Dwarf and two Hobbits: Merriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took of The Shire. Also with him were Theoden, King of Rohan, and his heir: Eomer. 

            After a long exchange of words between Gandalf and Saruman, Saruman turned to leave. *'Come back, Saruman!' said Gandalf in a commanding voice. To the amazement of the others, Saruman turned again, and as if dragged against his will, he came slowly back to the iron rail, leaning on it, breathing hard. 

'I did not give you leave to go,' said Gandalf sternly. 'I have not finished. You have become a fool, Saruman, and yet pitiable. You might still have turned away from folly and evil, and have been of service. But you choose to stay and gnaw at the ends of your old plots. Stay then! But I warn you, you will not easily come out again. Not unless the dark hands of the East stretch out to take you. Saruman!' he cried, and his voice grew in power and authority. 'Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the council.'

He raised his hand, and spoke slowly in a clear cold voice. 'Saruman, your staff is broken.' There was a crack, and the staff split asunder in Saruman's hand, and the head of it fell down at Gandalf's feet. 'Go!' said Gandalf. With a cry Saruman fell back and crawled away. 'It is the end' said Gandalf. 'Let us go.'* (This was all quoted from The Two Towers)

As they turned to leave, Gandalf spoke softly. "Do not yet think that the threat of Saruman has passed. Although he has been defeated, he has still some power left in him." Little did Gandalf know, he had never spoken truer words. "Gandalf!" shouted a voice from the balcony above. Caught off guard, the group spun around to see Saruman, once again standing at the railing, an enraged look on his face. "You have made a foolish mistake, Gandalf! You did not kill me while you had the chance." Saruman chuckled. "I now banish you to different dark times of another world, where your knowledge and wisdom are meaningless!" Gandalf and the others stared in awe as Saruman, using much of his remaining strength, waved his hands, and started reciting an incantation. Aragorn, fearing the worst, dashed in front of Gandalf, followed closely by the rest of his companions, to block the unknown spell. Bright light surrounded Gandalf and his companions, as darkness crept up on them and they slowly slipped into unconsciousness. 

Saruman, who was greatly weakened from the spell, crawled back into his chamber and stood up in front of a podium with a round, black orb on it. Saruman passed a hand over the Palantir, and summoned the image of the Ringbearer and his two companions. _My time has come… he thought to himself as he spoke the same incantation again. As soon as he had finished the incantation, he smiled to himself before collapsing on the floor. For the rest of his days he lay there, with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. Saruman was dead._

_March 5th 3019 B.C. Middle-Earth_

_Mordor…_

The sky was equally cloudy above the Black Gates of Mordor. In front of the gates stood two Hobbits, talking hurriedly with a small, gray skinned frog like creature. 

*'Well, here we are!' said Sam. 'Here's the Gate, and it looks to me as if that's as far as we are ever going to get. I suppose it's no good asking "what way do we go now?" We can't go no further unless we want to ask the Orcs for a lift.' 'No, no!' said Gollum. 'There is another way. O yes indeed there is. Let Smeagol show you!' 'Another way!' said Frodo doubtfully.* (Also taken from The Two Towers) Suddenly, before he could question Gollum, they were surrounded by light. Frodo and Sam gasped, thinking that they had been spotted, while Gollum squealed and covered his eyes, afraid of the light. The world around them began to fade as Frodo, Sam, and Gollum slowly slipped into unconsciousness…

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	2. Ch 2: Strangers From Nowhere

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic Draco's first year sister. She will be in later chapters. Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowling and Lord of the Rings belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. Sadly that means I do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious… **

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

  ---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring__**

Ch. 2: Strangers From Nowhere September 6th 2002 A.D. England 

_Hogwarts…_

Harry…                                 

_            Harry…_

            Harry Potter… 

_            Harry wasn't certain if he was conscious, or still dreaming. He couldn't see anything, and all he could hear was a cold, raspy voice. _

            _Harry…_

_            Potter…_

_            Harry…_

_            HARRY!_

            Harry quickly opened his eyes, and saw, at the side of his bed, a red haired, freckled kid. "Harry! Get up!" yelled the red head. "What time is it, Ron?" Harry asked, sleepily. "Time for you to get up." Said Ron. Harry rolled his eyes. Ron smiled. "It's 7:15. Hurry up and get dressed if you want to eat breakfast before the Quidditch try-outs at 8. I mean, I suppose they'll all want you there, seeing you're the Gryffindor team Captain, and you will be deciding who gets on the team." Harry groaned as he hurriedly got out of bed and grabbed his glasses. "Nooo… I forgot all about the try-outs!" Ron chuckled, "I still wonder why the entire team voted Mr. Sleepyhead to be Captain." Ron received a dirty look.

            "Harry? Harry, are you up yet? You're going to be late!" a voice called up from the Gryffindor common room. It was Ron's turn to roll his eyes, "That, would be Hermione." Harry smiled. "Alright, go keep her occupied. I'll be down in five." "Gotcha!" Having said that Ron ran down the stairs, to the common room. 

            Harry sighed. He was still amazed at all the changes that had taken place in his life during the past five years. It was Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had recently been named Captain of the Gryffindor House Quidditch team, and better yet, Draco Malfoy's sister started her first year at Hogwarts. Draco had been Harry's rival since his first year at Hogwarts. What had made this a good thing, though, is that the Sorting Hat did not put her in Slytherin. He could still picture the horrified/mortified look on Draco's face. _What a perfect way to start the school year! Harry thought. He looked out the window and saw it was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sky was clear and the wind was just right… perfect flying weather. He still didn't understand the dream he had, but decided not to worry about that until later. Harry got his stuff together and hurriedly got dressed into his Quidditch robes._

            Five minutes and eight seconds later, Harry arrived in the common room with his Firebolt in his hand. Ron looked at his pocket watch. "You're late for everything, aren't you?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't it you who was ten minutes late for McGonagall's class yesterday?" Ron blushed. "Oh yeah…" "Oh please! If you're going to eat you'd better hurry. I saved some food for you and Ron." Together, they walked down to the Great Hall and within fifteen minutes, were on their way to the Quidditch pitch.

            When they reached the field they saw a huge crowd of Gryffindors standing around the front row of bleachers. Students were talking back and forth excitedly:

"Are they dead?"

"I don't think so."

"What are they?"

"I don't know…"

"Maybe they're House Elves."

"Or Goblins!"

"Don't look like any House Elves or Goblins I've ever seen."

"Look at their feet! They're covered with hair!"

"Wicked!"

Just then, Ron's two seventh year brothers, Fred and George, emerged from the crowd with a puzzled look on their face. (I don't know if Fred and George are still in school, but in this fanfic, they are!) "What's going on?" Harry asked. Fred and George looked at each other. "We don't know." Fred spoke up. "They were here when we arrived. I've never seen anything like them." "Who?" asked Hermione. Fred and George exchanged nervous glances. "Um… you'd better come take a look."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione pushed through the crowd of Gryffindors and made their way to the stands. Before long they stood in front of the stands. Hermione clasped her hand over her mouth in a silent scream, while Harry and Ron gasped and took a step back. There on the bleachers lay the unconscious forms of two tiny men, wearing gray cloaks, and swords dangling at their sides. One wore a crystal phial around his neck. "Try-outs are postponed. Hermione?" "I'll go get a teacher," said Hermione, her lip trembling. With that, she ran to the teacher's lounge.

            Draco Malfoy sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. As he looked around the room he knew immediately that something was wrong. There was no one in sight. Everyone usually sleeps in on the first Saturday of the term. Something was not right.

            Within ten minutes he was dressed and on his way out of the Boys Dormitory. When he opened the big metal door leading to the Slytherin common room he saw a large group of students huddled around the corner. "Out of the way! Move it!" Draco yelled as he shoved his way through the crowd. What he saw when he got to the front was not what he expected. Two small little men were sprawled out on the floor in the corner. They wore gray cloaks and swords hung from their waists. 

Draco's eyes widened but he showed no other noticeable sign of shock or disbelief. To everyone's amazement Draco started chuckling. Then, chuckling turned into laughing hysterically. "They look like my old House Elf! Well, maybe a little better fed!" Draco exclaimed through his insane laughter. The other Slytherins started to laugh along with him. Draco was on the verge of crying, he was laughing so hard. "Crabbe! Goyle! Come on. We're going to find a teacher." Draco left the common room, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, still laughing hysterically. 

            It was dark and gloomy in the Forbidden Forest even though it was only 8 in the morning. The leaves of the trees rustled and it almost seemed as if the trees were talking. This is how the forest was when Legolas and Gimli awoke from unconsciousness. They were in a clearing, surrounded by trees and bushes. Legolas was the first to stand while Gimli was lying on his back, groaning from a headache. Legolas helped Gimli to his feet before surveying his surroundings. It was a forest, all right. But what forest, and where, he did not know. Gimli suddenly remembered what had happened. "That murderous rogue!" yelled Gimli. "What magic is this? Where are the others? How did we get here?" Legolas shrugged grimly. "The last thing I remember is a blinding light. There is something strange about this forest. It is unlike any other I have ever been in." Gimli looked around with a confused look on his face. "Where are we?" 

_ "You are in the Forbidden Forest. And when I say Forbidden, I mean no one is allowed in here, unauthorized, except me, the gamekeeper," Spoke a gruff voice from behind them. Legolas and Gimli drew their weapons, and spun around to see a huge, burly, bearded man, with a crossbow aimed at them, a Boar Hound at his side. The giant spoke again, "Who are you? And what are you doing in my forest?!" _

After a few seconds the surprise had passed and Legolas, lowering his bow, motioned for Gimli to do the same. Slowly but surely, Gimli lowered his axe. It was Legolas who spoke first, "I am Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood. This," he said, motioning to the Dwarf, "is my companion, Gimli, son of Gloin, of the Lonely Mountain." Legolas paused for a moment, as if considering how much he should tell this man, before continuing. "There were others with us, but we cannot find them now." Gimli sighed, "As for your second question, we are not quite sure ourselves how we got here." They silently agreed not to mention Saruman or anything regarding the ring. 

Finally, the giant lowered his crossbow and his face became kind. "Rubeus Hagrid." He smiled at the looks of confusion on the stranger's faces. "My name. But you can call me Hagrid. This is Fang," he said, motioning to the hound at his side. "If ya don't mind me askin', what…" Off in the distance they heard a low howl. Legolas tilted his head in the direction of the noise, his body suddenly alert. "Werewolves," Hagrid muttered. Suddenly all around them, in the bushes, they could hear low, hungry growls. "Perfect," Hagrid said sarcastically. 

In the blink of an eye, a large gray shape bounded out from behind the bushes and knocked Hagrid to the ground. Legolas took in the scene in a second, as the werewolf prepared to pounce again. Hagrid fumbled with his crossbow, but couldn't raise it in time. As the werewolf leapt, an arrow flew out of the dark and struck it in the left side. The wolf whimpered and staggered a bit, but managed to keep its footing. Legolas readied another arrow as the wolf charged, but the second shot went wide and it dodged. The Elf rolled out of the way of the charging wolf and drew his long, silver knife. The beast charged again, but Legolas sidestepped and brought the knife down on the werewolf's neck, separating the head from the body, killing it instantly. 

Two more werewolves plunged out from behind the foliage. With a warlike battle cry, Gimli ran to meet the first of the two attackers. Gimli ducked an upward swipe and swung his axe hard, knocking the wolf's legs out from under it before bringing his axe down on the attackers skull. The remaining werewolf gave up and ran, but an arrow struck the back of its neck before it could disappear into the woods. It was dead before it hit the ground. 

Hagrid, who had now recovered, lowered his crossbow. "Thanks for the help. That was really impressive fightin' there. Now, if ya don't mind me askin', what are you?" Gimli was enraged. "What am I?! What do you think I am?! Why, I'm a…" Another howl was heard off in the distance. Hagrid eyed the woods cautiously. "I think we'd better finish this conversation later." Legolas and Gimli nodded. "Still, yer trespassing, so I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to insist that you come with me," Hagrid said. "I'm takin' ya to see Professor Dumbledore. Maybe he'll know what to make of this… situation." "We'll follow, as long as we can keep our weapons with us," Gimli said. Legolas nodded his agreement. Hagrid grumbled his approval and led them out of the forest.

**So ends chapter two. What will happen to the strangers? Where are Gandalf and Aragorn? And where is that blasted Gollum? All will be revealed in Ch. 3… well, maybe not all… =) Chapter Three will be up soon.** 

Please R&R!


	3. Ch 3: The Hospital Wing and Many Meeting...

**~**                                                                                                                            **~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic Draco's first year sister, Emily Malfoy. Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowling and Lord of the Rings belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. Sadly that means I do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious… **

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

  ---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring 

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Ch. 3: The Hospital Wing and Many Meetings 

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            At 10:30, all the students were back in the Great Hall, with the exception of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, eating their breakfast. The Gryffindors were talking excitedly about the strange little men they found, while the Slytherins did the same. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, who surprisingly hadn't caught wind of the strangers yet, were talking politely at their tables. 

            This wasn't the case however, with Emily Malfoy. Emily sat at the end of the Ravenclaw table, her nose buried in a book. Because of this, she didn't notice when a tall, thin fifth year girl walked over and sat down beside her. "Hi!" the girl said. Emily looked up from her book. "Are you talking to me?" "Sure am", the girl replied. She got a confused look on her face. "Why do you sound so surprised?" Emily sighed and put her book down. "Well, maybe because you're the first student to talk to me all week. I guess it's because I'm Draco's sister. I hear he isn't too popular with the Ravenclaws." Emily sighed again. "Or anyone other than the Slytherins for that matter." The girl's jaw must have dropped a mile. It was a few seconds before she finally spoke. "You're Draco Malfoy's sister?" she asked incredulously. "Emily Malfoy, at your service. Weren't you there at the sorting?" "No, I came a day late. I kinda missed the train." Now that she thought of it, the girl did slightly resemble her brother. She had the same pale skin and long, silvery blond hair. The girl sat there, shocked for a moment, but then slowly smiled. "Welcome to Ravenclaw. I'm Cho Chang." (I know, I know! Cho is one year ahead of Harry, but in this fanfic, she is a fifth year.) Cho held out her hand in a friendly gesture, which Emily shook gratefully. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

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            _Meanwhile…_

            "What do you think they are, Albus? I've never seen anything like them."

            "I don't know Poppy. This is beyond my areas of expertise."

            Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared in awe at the four strangers that had been brought to the Hospital Wing that morning, while Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle barely managed to stifle their laughter. Professor Snape and McGonagall stood on either side of Dumbledore. All of the stranger's belongings had been taken and set on a table on the other side of the room. Madam Pomfrey frowned in thought. "Judging by their height and pointed ears, I'd say they're either House Elves or Goblins." Pomfrey shook her head. "But they're wearing cloths, and strange cloths at that, so they can't be Elves. I don't think even muggles wear cloths like those." "And they're definitely not Goblins," Snape added, with an unusual smile.

            A deep, commanding voice was heard outside the door. "Wait here," it said. There was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Dumbledore, kindly. The door swung open and Hagrid stepped in. "Sorry to bother you, Professor… oh, hiya Harry! Professor Flitwick said I could find you here. I, uh, found two trespassers in the Forbidden Forest. Thing is, they're like nothing I ain't never seen before. They…" Hagrid stopped short as his eyes fell on the four strangers that lay on the beds. "As you can see," Dumbledore started, "we have already found some strangers of our own. They were found this morning, two on the Quidditch pitch and two in the Slytherin common room. Well now, let us not be rude to our guests. We should at least invite them in, I daresay." Hagrid sighed. "I'm warnin' yeh, though. These two are different. I haven't taken their weapons, and I pity the fool who tries to". Dumbledore nodded his acknowledgement and Hagrid motioned for the two "guests" to come in.

There were several gasps as Legolas and Gimli stepped through the doorway and entered the room. Dumbledore smiled gravely and stepped forward. "Welcome. Would you mind telling us your names?" "Is it not custom here, then, for the captors to first introduce themselves to their prisoners?" Gimli asked. The elderly professor smiled. "I would hardly call you prisoners, seeing as how you still have your weapons. Very well, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of this school, and these are my colleagues, Professors Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall. These are some of our students: Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Draco Malfoy." 

Legolas eyed the headmaster suspiciously. "This, is a school? Do you live here? Are you a king of some sort?" Dumbledore chuckled. "Please, one question at a time. First, yes, this is a school. Second, yes, I do live here. We all do during the school year. And third, no, I am most definitely NOT a king. Now, would you kindly state your names, why you are here, and what your purpose is?" Legolas nodded. "My apologies, Master Dumbledore. I am Legolas Greenleaf, Son of Thranduil, king of the Mirkwood Elves. This is my friend and companion, Gimli, son of Gloin, of the Lonely Mountain." If anyone found these names strange they certainly did not show it (except for Malfoy, who was once again trying to keep from laughing). Legolas continued, "We do not know how we got here. When we awoke we were lying on the ground in the forest outside this castle. I assure you, we did not trespass by our own choice. As for our purpose, we mean no harm. There were four others with us before we arrived here, and we wish to find them, and then find a way home. Now, may I ask you a question?" Dumbledore nodded. "Where in Middle-Earth are we?" Dumbledore frowned. "I do not know anything of this Middle-Earth you speak of, but you are in England. This castle is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Legolas and Gimli stared in awe. "You're a wizard?" Gimli asked. Snape, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward. "Of course he's a wizard," he said suspiciously, "we all are." Legolas and Gimli looked at each other before bursting out laughing. "You can't be wizards!" Gimli exclaimed. "You are too young!" Everyone was taken by surprise, except Snape, who had that familiar ready-to-kill look in his eyes. Dumbledore smiled. "Well, what is a wizard where you are from?" Legolas spoke, "In the time of darkness, many years ago, wizards were immortal beings sent down from the heavens to aid in the war against Sauron. These elderly beings were wise, powerful and above all, immortal. They always put the lives of others before their own. That is, until Saruman the wise betrayed us all…

 If Dumbledore was going to ask who or what Sauron was, he decided to save it until later. "You mentioned there were others with you before you arrived." The headmaster stepped aside, giving them a clear view of the beds. "Are these your companions?" Legolas and Gimli gasped. "The Hobbits!" Legolas exclaimed. "Frodo and Sam are here too! How did they get here?" Legolas checked the Hobbits for signs of life, and found they were breathing normally. A fear slowly crept over the Elf. _The ring! Legolas and Gimli quickly searched Frodo but found nothing. Legolas whirled around and drew his knife as Gimli drew his axe. All eleven wizards raised their wands in surprise. "This Hobbit wore a trinket around his neck, on a chain! Where is it?" Legolas demanded. Dumbledore motioned for the teachers to hold their fire. "Their weapons and belongings are over there on that table. We only confiscated them because we were unsure of their intentions. You may take what you please." Legolas walked over to the table and searched the pile of stuff. Sure enough, at the bottom of the pile, was the ring. Legolas picked it up and put it in his pocket. The two then put away their weapons. "I apologize. This is an unfamiliar land to us, and we are a bit… edgy." "Perfectly understandable," Dumbledore replied. "What is so important about that ring?" McGonagall asked. "Uh, Legolas fancies pretty jewelry," Gimli quickly lied. _

Legolas frowned. "Two of these are of the four that were with us. The other two we know, but were elsewhere at the time we were last together. The other two that were with us, a man and a wizard, I do not see. Have they been found?" Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, but these were the only others found so far. You said one of them is a wizard?" "Yes," Gimli replied. "He is Gandalf the White." Dumbledore frowned. "I am unfamiliar with the name of this wizard. And this other friend of yours, you said he is a man, correct?" Legolas nodded. "But are you not all men?" Gimli was in shock. "Of course we're not men!" he barked. "Why, I'm a Dwarf and Legolas here, is an Elf!" Now everyone was even more confused. 

After what seemed like eternity, Dumbledore spoke up. "It seems to me that your friends are at a bit of a disadvantage, not being a part of this conversation. I think it is time that we awaken them." The headmaster pointed his wand at them and muttered, _"enervate!" One by one, the Hobbits awoke with a start. "Where are we?" one of them asked. The Hobbit called Frodo, stirred a bit. "Legolas? Gimli? Wha… what's going on? How did we get here?" Before waiting for an answer, Frodo felt his chest, and went pale. "Where is it?" Frodo gasped. "I have it right here," Legolas said calmly and handed the ring to Frodo, which he put in his pocket._

Ten minutes later, the Hobbits had been filled in on everything that had been talked about, prior to them waking up. Dumbledore stood up from the chair he had been sitting in. "Well, I must say that you all seem like a perfectly friendly group, so that leaves me with one more question… for now: Are you dangerous?" Gimli laughed a deep rumble. "Of course we are dangerous!" "But only to our enemies," Legolas quickly added before scowling at his companion. "And so far, you have not proven to be our enemies." "Likewise," Dumbledore replied. "Minerva, Severus, I think it is time we held an immediate staff meeting. Our new "friends" must be present, of course. I think the other teachers would like to meet our guests." He turned to the students and smiled. "You are dismissed." Ron started to protest, but Dumbledore held up a hand. "The rest of the students will be informed of what is to happen, after it is decided what is to happen." The student nodded and left the room. "Severus, would you please help Minerva rally the teachers, and inform them there is an emergency staff meeting in fifteen minutes?" "Yes, headmaster," Snape replied. Snape and McGonagall swiftly left the hospital wing. Albus Dumbledore sighed. _This was going to be a long day._

            It was 8:45 when Gandalf and Aragorn awoke in the dark, dank cave. Aragorn spoke first. "Where are we?" was the obvious question. "Gandalf…" Gandalf's eyes had focused on the same shape that Aragorn's had. There was a large beast moving around in the shadowy corner. Gandalf, first checking to make sure they still had their weapons, said, "I think we can risk a little more light." The head of Gandalf's staff began to glow, illuminating their surroundings. In front of them, was the most magnificent beast they had ever seen. It had the body, hind legs, and tail of a horse, and the head and front legs of an eagle. It did not seem to be interested in harming them, however.

            "Good to see you're awake," said a gruff voice from the far corner. Aragorn whirled around and drew his sword, but Gandalf remained calm and slowly turned. Gandalf brightened the light a little so it fell upon the strangers face. "Who are you?" Aragorn asked. The stranger stepped further into the light. "My name is Sirius Black. And I am not your enemy." Sirius motioned to some rocks on the floor of the cave. "Take a seat. There are many things that I wish to know…"

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Author's note: What do you think? This is my first fan fic and I think it is coming along nicely. I sincerely thank Cliffhanger, PixieDust, and ditto2001 for those wonderful reviews. I'm sorry. I promise, Gollum will be in the next chapter. Also, I have altered a few scenes in chapter 1 and 2, so you may want to skim over it again. The fourth chapter will be up this week or next week! Keep reading and keep those reviews comin'!

~Kettch


	4. Ch 4: Many Welcomes

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy. This chapter also introduces Megan Jones, who I also own. I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. **

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

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**Ch. 4: Many Welcomes**

****

            Harry Potter and his friends had barely reached the common room when Harry suddenly dashed upstairs to his dorm. The common room was empty. Hermione looked at Ron, but Ron just shrugged. Harry returned a minute later with a roll of parchment and a quill in his hand. "What are you doing?" Ron asked curiously, although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. His suspicions were confirmed when Harry answered: "Snuffles. I've been meaning to write to him." Harry sat down in a chair, next to his friends and began writing: 

_Dear Sirius,_

_            Thanks a lot for the great Birthday present! I think it will come in very handy this year.__ I never thought that you would have a spare copy! I hope you are having fun at Moony's house. I suppose you two have a lot to catch up on. Everything went ok during the summer. I had no problem talking the Dursleys into letting me stay with the Weasleys for the last two weeks of the break. I think they were afraid that if they didn't let me go, Ron and his family would show up anyway, and turn them all into toads! (Pity they didn't though) Anyway, you wanted me to keep you informed on anything unusual happening at Hogwarts, so that is the true purpose of this letter. Earlier this morning, six strangers turned up at the school. They just appeared out of nowhere! Four of them claim to be of a race called Hobbits. The other two say they are an Elf and a Dwarf. They're like nothing I've ever seen before! All of them carried really primitive looking weapons. You know, swords, bows, axes and that kind of stuff. I don't think they mean us any harm, though. In other news, my scar hasn't hurt all summer. I don't know if this means anything or not. Maybe Voldemort's tired and wants to rest up before trying to kill me again.  So, how are things going with you? If you have any ideas about any of this, please owl back ASAP. I look forward to hearing from you again. Please give my regards to Remus._

_Your Godson,_

_Harry Potter_

_P.S. You're not going to believe this, but I got named Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this week!_

After letting Ron and Hermione read the letter, Harry folded the slip of parchment and slid it into his pocket. After a minute, Hermione broke the silence. "So, what was that Birthday present you were talking about, that Snuffles gave you?" Harry suddenly grinned mischievously. "Remember last year, when the fake Moody confiscated the Marauder's Map?" Ron and Hermione nodded. "Well, it turns out Snuffles had another copy of it, hidden away in his Gringotts vault. That's what he gave me for my Birthday." Ron grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes. 

"I want to send this right away," said Harry. "I think I'll use Hedwig this time. She hasn't been out in ages." Harry ran back up to the boy's dorm and returned shortly with a snowy white owl on perched on his shoulder. Harry smiled at the owl. "Are you up for a long trip, Hedwig?" The owl hooted happily. "Great! Could you take this to Snuffles for me? He's at Moony's house," Harry said as he gently tied the letter around Hedwig's ankle. Hedwig nipped him affectionately on the ear before flying out the window of Gryffindor Tower.

Harry smiled as he watched Hedwig fly away until she was out of sight. Ron spoke first. "We'd better head down to the Great Hall. Lunch will be starting soon." Harry quickly glanced at his new watch that Hermione had given him for his Birthday. It was a gold plated muggle watch, only Hermione had fixed it so it ran on magic and was never wrong. The watch now read 12:23. "I guess we'd better get a move on then."

The rest of the day went by quickly, without anything mildly exciting. It wasn't until that evening at dinner, that Professor Dumbledore and the teachers appeared again, along with the "guests". The teachers took their seats at the High Table with the "guests" beside them, as the students began to flow into the Great Hall. 

After everyone was situated, Professor Dumbledore stood up and called for everyone's attention. "Now, before we begin our marvelous meal, I have a couple announcements and some answers to questions I'm sure all of you have been wondering about all day." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he glanced over at the Gryffindor table, then the Ravenclaw table, then Hufflepuff, and last, at the Slytherins. He allowed a moment of silence before continuing. "I'm also fairly certain that many of you have been formulating your own ideas about the mysterious appearances of our guests today. If you would kindly allow me to explain, I will do my best to do so." Dumbledore allowed another moment of silence before going on. "Six, total, were found this morning. Two were found on the bleachers of the Qudditch pitch, two in the Slytherin common room, and two more in the Forbidden Forest. However, I have been informed that three others are still unaccounted for." Dumbledore sighed. "I will not lie to you. These visitors are not of our world. They come from a land unknown to me, called Middle-Earth. They are neither wizards nor muggles, and they will be staying, here at Hogwarts, with us until we can figure out how to get them back to their home. They…" Dumbledore was suddenly interrupted by a shout coming from the Slytherin table. "Do these, er, 'guests', have names?" Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, my sincerest apologies, Mr. Curry. How rude of me. Allow me to introduce our guests. This is Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. They are Hobbits," Dumbledore said, motioning to each one in turn. "This is Gimli the Dwarf, and Legolas the Elf." Many of the female students giggled as Dembledore introduced the Elf. Dumbledore spoke again. "I want you all to treat each guest curtiously, and make them feel welcome. They will be sleeping in the guest rooms, and starting Monday, will be observing some of your classes, seeing as how they are just as curious about us as we are of them. Now, did I cover everything, or does anyone have questions?" The room was eerily silent. "Very well" Dumbledore nodded to the guests and they took a seat at the nearest table, which just so happened to be the Gryffindor table.

Suddenly the room was filled with excited chatter. Dumbledore held up a hand for silence once more. "I have one more announcement, and that is this: We have a new student joining us this year. She is an American exchange student from Waddlegook School of Magic, and will be sorted as a fifth year." 

Professor McGonagall walked out in front of the tables and placed a rather familiar, old looking hat on a stool. "Jones, Megan!" McGonagall yelled out. A stunningly pretty girl became noticed as she stepped out from behind the High Table and made her way towards the Sorting Hat. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail and her sky blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. She looked unusually calm and confident, not at all nervous like most first years when they get sorted. Megan Jones sat on the stool patiently as Professor McGonagall lowered the Sorting Hat onto her head. Several minutes passed in silence. Suddenly, that silence was broken by a loud bellow of … "GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table exploded with applause as Megan smiled and took a seat opposite of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

"Now that all that has been said and done, let dinner begin!" With a wave of Dumbledore's hand, the tables were suddenly covered with platters of food 

Harry and his friends began introducing themselves to the new Gryffindor. Harry, of course, got the same reaction he always got when meeting someone new: "Really? You're _the _Harry Potter? Do you really have the scar?" Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione giggled. Harry looked away, blushing. It was at this moment, that Harry first became aware that Professor Severus Snape was not at the staff table. Harry shrugged the thought aside and continued eating.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their new friend, Megan started walking back to the Gryffindor common room. Suddenly, their path was blocked by none other than Draco Malfoy, flanked closely by Crabbe and Goyle. "What do you want?" Ron barked. Malfoy stepped back in mock surprise. "Weasley, I would have thought your parents would have tought you better manners than that." Malfoy eyed Megan curiously. "Well, Potter, I see you've found yourself a new girlfriend. Tell me, is this another one of 'Harry Potter's secret heartaches'?" said Malfoy as he laughed maliciously. 

Harry and Ron scowled, but Megan took a step forward and extended her hand, smiling sweetly. "Megan Jones, very pleased to meet you. What's your name?" If Draco Malfoy expected any kind of spiffy comeback, this was not it. Draco stood there, speechless, a look of utter confusion on his face. Megan spoke again, softly this time. "I extended my hand so you could shake it. Didn't _your_ parents teach _you_ any manners?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst out laughing. "Uh, Draco Malfoy," Malfoy said in a small voice, while reluctantly shaking the girl's hand. Megan smiled. "Draco. That's a pretty name. Is your family native to England?" Draco was still at a loss for words, but he managed to say, "Yeah." "Cool!" Megan replied. "Would you like to give me a tour of the castle? This place is huge!" Draco looked thoroughly shocked. "Huh?!" was all he could think of saying. "Great!" Megan said cheerfully. "Let's go!" With that, Megan looped her arm around Draco's and started down the hallway in the opposite direction. Draco looked back at Crabbe and Goyle with a mixed look of shock, confusion, and despair before disappearing around the corner. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood there, unable to speak. "Well, that was certainly unexpected," Ron finally said. Moments later they all burst out laughing and started walking back to the common room. Crabbe and Goyle still stood there, more confused than ever.

A/N ~ There! It's finally done. I apologize for the long wait. I have had a lot of schoolwork. I couldn't work Gollum into this chapter, but I promise he will be in the next. I also apologize that the LotR characters did not have a bigger part. I am still setting the storyline. I will be out of town for a week so I will not be able to write. I will update as soon as possible.

~ Kettch


	5. Ch 5: Riddles in the Dark

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. **

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

Ch. 5: Riddles in the Dark 

****

            Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a majestic castle dwelling that has stood for a thousand years. At the foot of the castle is the wizarding village of Hogsmeade. Overlooking Hogsmeade are great mountains at the edge of village. The mountains themselves have so many outcroppings and over hangings that it would be impossible to find one who did not wish to be found. 

            In a cave, at the peak of the mountain, all is restless. Tension is rising. The time draws near. A dark figure stands alone on the edge of one of the mountain's many cliffs. The figure turns his pale, flat nose to the air and sniffs. He can smell fear in the air. The figure's great red eyes scan all that is before him. The village, the forest, and the castle in the distance. 

            Lord Voldemort, formerly known as Tom Riddle, hears much recognized footsteps behind him. Without so much as tilting his head to see the person, he addresses the second shadowy figure. "Lucius, this will be the first muggle attack we have done since my return. I want it done cleanly. Avada Kadavra, burn the house, shoot The Mark. You know the drill. You may torture them briefly if you wish, but do not linger for too long. Even though Fudge refuses to believe that I have returned, Arthur Weasley still has much of the ministry on their toes." "Yes m'lord," Lucius Malfoy replied. Voldemort paused a moment before continuing. "At _midnight_, you, Severus, and Wormtail will apparate to the house and break in. Do not disappoint me Malfoy, and even more importantly, do not fail me." "Of course m'lord."

            With the bow of his head and the swish of his cloak, Lucius Malfoy went back into the cave to prepare for the attack. Everything was going according to plan. The current time is now 11:39 pm.

            Breakfast the next morning was much more pleasant than the hectic one the previous day. Ron had just finished eating his eggs when an owl flew in carrying a Daily Prophet. Ron unfolded it and scaned the front page… and then spit his pumpkin juice all over Neville, who was sitting across from him. "What was that for?" Neville asked. Ron quickly showed Harry the paper and received an equally horrified look from him. "What is it?" Hermione asked in surprise. 

"Miss Granger!" Hermione looked around to see who was calling her and Professor McGonagall beckoning to her. "Miss Granger, follow me please." Hermione shrugged and promptly followed McGonagall while Ron and Harry exchanged nervous glances. 

About half way to their destination Hermione realized they were headed to Professor Dumbledore's office. Upon reaching the stone gargoyle McGonagall said "Sweet Tarts" and the gargoyle stepped aside. Dumbledore was waiting in his office. "Take a seat Miss Granger. Minerva, you may leave us," Dumbledore spoke gravely as McGoangall nodded and closed the doer behind her.

 "Miss Granger, I will get right to the point." Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Your parents house was attacked by Death Eaters last night at twelve o'clock." Hermione gasped and tears started to form in her eyes. "Are they…?" "No, no, I can assure you they are quite alright. Shaken, but in no other way harmed." Hermione was even more shocked now. "How is that possible?" Dumbledore sighed. "I was tipped off. I have a spy working for me from within the Death Eaters. And by _I, _I mean that the Minister of Magic does not know about this. My spy contacted me about an hour before the attack. I then got in touch with Arthur Weasley right away and he was able to arrive at your house just in time to take them by surprise." Hermione's mouth was hanging open now. Dumbledore went on, "We arranged it so it would not seem as though they were expected. Mr. Weasley and three others from his department arrived ten minutes before the Death Eaters. Mr. Weasley will be interviewed by the Daily Prophet and will tell them that he was at your house having a late night dinner at your house and that he brought along some friends from work to meet your parents. When the Death Eaters arrived and saw all the lights on and four fully trained wizards in the den they broke in anyway. All three of them escaped but Mr. Weasley did note that one of them had a silver hand…" "Peter Pettigrew was there?!" 

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment. Suddenly realization dawned on her and the pieces of the puzzle came together at once. Suddenly it made sense to her. "Professor Dumbledore, if you don't mind me asking, who was the spy?" Dumbledore smiled inwardly. "If I tell you this, you must promise me that you will keep this a secret. You may tell Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley but they must not tell anyone either." "I promise," Hermione said. Her suspicions were confirmed when Dumbledore said, "It was Severus Snape."

A/N: I apologize for not posting anything in quite a while. I got a new job and have been quite busy. This chapter was not everything I meant for it to be because I wrote this in about an hour. I just wanted to post something! Thank you all for the help with the Mary Sue thing. I had never heard that term before. I can assure you that Megan will _not_ be perfect, she will _not_ be flawless, she will _not_ be smarter than Hermione, and she will _not_ be a main character. All she is meant to be at this time is an extra thorn in dear old Draco's side. Here's a preview of what I have planned for the next few chapters: Gollum will be found in… are you ready for this?… Snape's storage closet! Harry, Ron, and Hermione will not hate Snape so much anymore. Aragorn and Gandalf will be reunited with the others. Sirius will return to Hogwarts. Megan will torture and embarrass Draco some more. Legolas will meet… are you ready?… Dobby the House Elf! Boy, am I evil! Gimli will get teased a lot (I find him quite hilarious). The evil experiments of Fred and George. Mua ha ha! The last thing I am going to say is that eventually, I don't know when, but eventually Voldemort will be contacted by Sauron. I am still thinking of how. Also, I would like to take a vote on whether or not I should come up with a way to bring Boromir back. (Alternate universe, anything can happen right?) Boromir was my favorite character in The Fellowship of the Ring and I would like to see him back. If you think it is too bogus then let me know. Please review with your thoughts on it. I am also open to suggestions for this fan fic. Please sate anything you would like to see. I'm not guaranteeing that I will use it but I will consider it nonetheless. I hope to post chapter six soon. Sorry for such a long A/N.

                                                                                                                                   ~Kettch


	6. Ch 6: Of Quidditch Tryouts and Drunken D...

**~**                                                                                                                            **~**

**Disclaimer:  Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. **

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

Ch. 6: Of Quidditch Try-outs and Drunken Dwarves 

****

****

            By lunch everyone had heard of the Grangers' close call with the Death Eaters. It was decided that her parents would stay with the Weasleys until something else was decided. Harry and Ron were both sympathetic. 

            Gimli, who sat across from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, turned to the Hobbits and asked one of them to go find Legolas and tell him that Lunch was being served. Pippin was elected to go. 

            Legolas had been exploring the grounds since dawn. He quickly found that his favorite spot was the hill overlooking the lake. It was quiet and peaceful and a good place to collect his thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye he saw two girls staring at him. They giggled and ran away quickly when he glanced at them. 

The elf sighed. He knew that many of the female elves in Mirkwood found him attractive, but never in his life had this many eyes been drawn to him at once! Legolas shrugged inwardly. At least it was all girls checking him out this time. That was definitely a good thing. 

He chuckled to himself as he thought of how much Dumbledore was like Gandalf. They even look something alike. Thinking of Gandalf made him wonder again if he and Aragorn were alright. His thoughts were interrupted when Pippin came running up to him gasping something about lunch being served before dashing back to the Great Hall. Legolas chuckled again. If appetites were endurance Pippin would be able to run a 500-mile marathon without so much as a stop to catch his breath. That's ok. 

Legolas was a little hungry anyway so he headed back to the Great Hall… only half acknowledging the many eyes glued to his………… legs. oO

            Pippin had already finished two more plates of eggs by the time Legolas arrived. The elf greeted everyone by bowing slightly in the traditional elf manner. 

            It was eerily silent at the far end of the Gryffindor table. Ron cleared his throat. "So, do you have Quidditch where you come from. The newcomers glanced at each other. "No, I'm afraid not," Gimli said gruffly. "What is Quidditch?" Legolas asked. "It's the best sport ever!" Ron shouted. "Harry here is the captain of the Gryffindor team. It's played on broomsticks, with four balls and seven players on each team and…" "Maybe they'd like to come watch the try-outs in 30 minutes," Harry interrupted. "Oh, right," said Ron. "So, do you guys play any sports?" Legolas spoke first. "I am a 511 time champion of the Mirkwood Annual Archery Tournament." (That may sound like a lot, but remember, he's 2000 and something years old) Sam spoke for the Hobbits: "In the Shire, we have fireworks festivals and whoever brings the best fireworks gets all the leftover food from the party." Gimli perked up. "In the caverns of the Lonely Mountain, my kin and I would get sooo drunk, we could not tell each other apart! Then, we would chase what we thought were Dwarf lasses around the cave until we all passed out. Ah, those were good times." (By the way, the "dwarf lasses" were really giant rats oO) Legolas and the Hobbits laughed, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking a bit scared now. 

*Draco Malfoy's P.O.V.* 

            I was raised to be powerful. I was taught to intimidate and frighten my enemies. I was taught to let no one push me around, embarrass me, or insult my intelligence and get away with it. The teachers at Hogwarts all have their favorite students. Snape is the only smart one. Potter and his friends mean nothing to me. They are all fools and will be the first ones to die. All my life I have gotten my way. I will see to it that it continues. I will never show embarrassment, loss of self-control, or weakness. I am a warrior. 

            My name is Draco Malfoy… and my life has turned to hell. 

            I can safely say that I have always known the devil would come for me… but never in my wildest dreams did I think that he would come for me in the form of an evil, deranged, INSANE FIFTH YEAR GRYFFINDOR GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  First she embarrasses me not only in front of the Gryffindors, but the Slytherins as well! First, she drags me around three-fourths of the school on a TOUR! I must say it seemed to me like SHE was the one giving ME the tour while I was trying to escape! I finally escaped by leading her on a "tour" to the Slytherin common room where I quickly jumped through the portal hole and slammed the door shut. Little did I know what a big mistake that was… This morning I awoke to her calling my name from outside the common room! I have never been so embarrassed in my life! She then drags me around the school AGAIN all morning! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! 

***End of Draco Malfoy's P.O.V.***

****

            The Gryffindor locker room was packed as Harry stood up in front to address everyone before the try-outs began. "Gryffindor has had the best team for four years now and we have only won the cup one out of those four years. We had an all-star line-up of chasers: Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. We had two incredible beaters who have never let me down, even in that game three years ago with the rogue bludger: Fred and George Weasley. Oliver Wood was the best keeper that Hogwarts has ever seen. And then there's me, the seeker." 

"Oh, come on Harry!" Fred blurted out. "You're too modest," George added. "We only won one out of four years, because every year something bad happens to us, or actually _you!_ Four years ago you missed the final game because you were in the hospital after that whole Sorcerer's Stone thing. The year after that, quidditch was canceled due to the attacks on students when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. The year after _that, _we won! And then last year, we had no games at all because of that stupid Tri-wizard Tournament." Everyone in the crowd laughed and cheered along with the Weasley twins. "I've got a good one!" Fred said. "George, tell me if this sounds better." Fred cleared his throat, "Many say Harry Potter is the best seeker Gryffindor has seen since our brother, Charlie Weasley left. But I say he's the best spanking seeker Hogwarts has ever seen! " All the others in the crowd roared with approval. "Harry has never failed to catch the snitch, not once, without really good reason. By 'really good reason' I am referring to the time he fell off his broom due to the dementors. With that said, I must now say this: if anyone here thinks that Slytherin stands a bloody chance at the cup this year, I will," Fred did his best Filch impersonation, "see to it that you are hanging by your toes in the dungeons!" The crowd cheered. 

            George, pretending to wipe away tears, said, "Beautiful, Fred. I couldn't have said it better myself." Harry grinned, "Maybe I should have you write my pep talks from now on, Fred." "Aw, shucks," said Fred, pretending to blush. Harry continued, "But to the point, I assume you are all here today because you want to try out for the Gryffindor quidditch team. The positions that are open are: left field chaser and keeper. Since we are short on time, the try-outs for the two positions will be at the same time. Alicia and Katie will supervise the chaser try-outs and Fred, George and I will supervise the keeper try-outs. I…" Harry faltered. He was not used to talking this much to people he was not too close to. He was certainly not used to giving speeches. The only thing that got him through this was his love for quidditch. Harry smiled as he thought of the perfect way to finish. "I wish you all good luck." 

After a round of applause, the crowd was broken into two groups: those trying out for chaser and those trying out for keeper. Each group was led to the opposite end of the pitch by the appropriate supervisor. Among the students trying out, Harry recognized many of them. Both Ron and Seamus were trying out for keeper as well as Dean, Parvati, and Lavender. The chaser try-outees (Yes, I know that isn't a real word, but I couldn't think of anything else) included Ginny, Megan, Colin and his brother, Dennis, and a bunch of other students that Harry didn't know. Hermione sat next to Legolas, Gimli, and the Hobbits and watched from the bleachers.

Harry reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment with a list of the people trying out. He read off the first name on the list (Dustin Sparrow, a sixth year) and then started sending enchanted quaffles toward the goals with five-second intervals while Dustin tried to block or catch them. He caught one out of fifteen. The second person on the list was a third year girl. She did much better than Dustin (six out of fifteen), but Harry was still not impressed. 

After five more disappointing sessions, Harry looked at the next student on the list and stifled a groan. It was Ron. Even though Ron was his best friend, Harry knew he could not play quidditch worth beans. Harry sighed as Ron straddled his Cleansweep 7, which he'd inherited from Charlie over the summer and flew up to the top of the goal posts. Harry sighed again before sending the first quaffle towards the goals. Ron, with a determined look on his face, prepared himself for the incoming ball that was angled at left goal post. Then, with speed that surprised even Harry, Ron swooped down toward the goal and…….. caught the ball. Harry, Fred, and George's jaws dropped. The next ball went wide and missed all three goals completely, but Ron caught the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Harry continued to stare in awe as Ron swooped down and landed next to his brothers. "I've been practicing," Ron said sheepishly. Ron's final score was twelve out of fifteen. 

            "Good job everyone! You all did very, er, well." Harry Potter stood in the middle of the quidditch pitch addressing the Gryffindor crowd. After talking briefly with the rest of the team, Harry decided who the new additions to the team would be. 

            "Well, I won't keep you waiting. The new chaser is… Megan Jones." The other Gryffindors clapped politely. Megan smiled and took a bow. When the applause died down, Harry continued. "The new keeper is Ro…." Harry never got to finish his sentence, because at that moment, the Slytherin team walked onto the field. "Jeez, Potter. Your newbies must really be terrible if it's taking you this long to recruit," Draco Malfoy said with a grin. Harry stepped forward to meet him. "What are you doing here, Malfoy? I've got the pitch reserved for try-outs." Malfoy's grin grew wider. "Oh, I'm aware of that, Potter. I also know that _you_ booked the pitch until 2:30. It is now 2:31." "Check you watch, Malfoy. It's 2:14. Now get out of here and let us wrap this up before we wrap _you_ up in that Slytherin flag up there, and roll you back to the dungeons." Draco smiled again. "Ooh, touché, Potter! You know, if your brain was an eighth the size of your ego you could give it to Weasley as an early Christmas present. Then, he might be able to sell it at Knockturn Alley and make some decent money. I hear Gryffindor brains are in high demand this year for some reason." Ron, who was now beet red, was at Harry's side in a heartbeat, wand outstretched. "Back off, Malfoy," he said coldly. 

Suddenly, a voice was heard from behind Harry and Ron, "Draco, that's not nice!" Draco Malfoy turned three shades paler. "No, not you!" Megan Jones stepped out of the crowd and smiled sweetly. "Draco, didn't your father teach you to play nice? Now, apologize to Harry and Ron and then say three nice things about each of them." Draco looked as if he had just been told that a giant white bunny was going to fall from the sky and land on his house. The Slytherin team was speechless, but Draco eventually regained his composure and said, "Make me." Megan spoke again, but this time more firmly, "Now, now, Draco. If you don't apologize I'm going to have to tell all your friends what we were doing in the astronomy tower last night at 12 am." Draco seemed on the verge of having a heart attack. The Gryffindors were shocked at first, but then simultaneously broke into a laughing fit while the Slytherins still stood there speechless. Shock and embarrassment turned to anger. "How dare you! You… you… Gryffindor scum!" Draco yelled, lifting his wand. "There's no reason for name calling, Draco. All I was trying to say was thank you for last night. I had a really fun time with you even though you were extremely boring and you didn't say anything, and it took you couldn't even find your way around. Ah, well, I guess that happens when you live in a dungeon." Finally defeated, Draco Malfoy turned tail and stalked off the pitch. 

Ron Weasley had never laughed so hard in his life. When the laughter subsided, he mustered up the courage to ask Megan, "You were kidding, right? You and Malfoy didn't really…" Megan smiled innocently. "Really what? I was just referring to the tour of the castle he gave me last night." "Oh." Ron looked thoughtful. Then realization hit him. "_Ohhhhh_" Harry laughed, "Well, as hilarious as that was, we only have five minutes until our times up. Megan is the new chaser and Ron is the new keeper." After the applause died down the Gryffindors left the field, half of them still doubled over laughing. 

Professor Severus Snape was in a bad mood when he returned to Hogwarts Sunday evening. He was extremely tired and wanted to go to bed. He scowled when he thought of last week. He had been denied the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yet again. He is currently a temporary DADA teacher and is on his way to his office to make sure everything is still in one piece. J Snape smiled to himself. If Dumbledore did not find a DADA teacher soon, he would have no choice but to give him the job. Nobody wanted the job seeing as how it was still jinxed. He reached the door to his potions classroom and, with the turn of the knob, stepped in. 

The room looked the same as it had before he left. Snape walked over to his desk and took a large bottle of 'Bartlett's Old Fashioned Dragon Whiskey' and poured himself a glass. After quickly checking his desk and cupboards to make sure everything was in place he turned to leave. That was when he heard the crash. Snape turned on his heel on stared at the door to the storage closet. Was someone in there? Impossible. The door had been locked all weekend. Snape drew his wand and walked silently towards the door and pressed his ear against the cold wood. A low growling voice could be heard inside: "Precioussssss. We is near. We is close. We can feel it. Yessssssssssss. Find a way to get out of this nasty room, we must… wait! We hears something, precious. Yes, we hears something that smells foul." 

Snape was intrigued. Intrigued, but not amused. Snape quietly unlocked the door and flung it open to find… nothing. He stepped in a looked around the room. Books, bottles, and jars were thrown everywhere. But there was no one in sight. Suddenly a dark shape dashed out from behind the opened door, took one look at Snape and high-tailed it out of the closet, out of the classroom and down the hall, out of sight. 

Snape stood in the doorway, expressionless. Then, he went back to his desk, picked up the bottle of ale, and read the label. Snape shrugged and put the bottle back in his desk drawer before leaving the room and going to bed. 

_That whiskey must have stronger than I thought…_

A/N: Another chapter done. I know a lot of people are disappointed that Aragorn and Gandalf have not come back yet, but just wait. I have big plans for their entrance. To all of you who have reviewed my fic: thank you for your support. Keep reading and reviewing! Later!

~ Kettch

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	7. Ch 7: Snape's Bad Day

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. **

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

**Ch. 7: Snape's Bad Morning**

****

"I wonder where Snape is," Harry said to Ron as they waited for Professor Snape to show up for the first Potions class of the week. Harry was curious about where the teacher was, because Snape was almost never late for torture, er, I mean class. Hermione seemed unusually anxious for Snape to arrive. Ron could care less where Snape was, but tried to contribute to the conversation anyway. "Maybe he finally decided to take a bath!" Ron suggested hopefully. "Shhh!" Hermione said. "I can hear voices, outside the door!"

Severus Snape was in a bad mood again. And it wasn't one of his normal bad moods either. It was one of his famous come-anywhere-near-me-and-I'll-stab-you-in-the-face-with-a-broomstick kind of moods. He decided to sleep in late and not only did he miss breakfast but he was late for class as well. The only good thing he had going for him right now that he could think of was that he was on his way to double potions. Slytherin and Gryffindor. Severus smiled. _This will be fun. _

As he rounded the corner leading to his class in the dungeon, two second year Hufflepuff girls came running around the corner, giggling. With lightning fast reflexes, Snape grabbed them both by the arm and they skidded to a stop, a look of dawning horror on their young faces. Snape spoke slowly and quietly, "Miss Harper. Miss Jenkins. You two do know that running is not permitted in the dungeon hallways." He said this more as a statement than a question. The two girls gulped. "We're sorry, sir," Harper said. Snape smiled, "Ten points from Hufflepuff. From each of you." Jenkins gasped. "But Professor, we don't have twenty points left! We can't go into negatives can we? There's no rule that says that! " Snape looked thoughtful. He smiled and said, "Very impressive, Miss Jenkins. You have enlightened me with something I did not know, and that rarely happens. Fifty points will be awarded to Hufflepuff for your intelligence…" The two girls looked shocked at first but then grinned. "…and one hundred points will be taken from Hufflepuff for talking back to me! There is no rule that says your house points can go into negative numbers, but there is no rule that says they can't either." Snape smiled at the look of horror on their faces. "Now, I'm not even going to ask what you were doing down here in the first place. Go to your classes before I change my mind about taking points for your hair growing in the wrong direction on the left side of your head." They didn't need to be told twice. Snape chuckled at the sound of their retreating footsteps before stepping into the classroom.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had heard every word. Harry and Ron gulped and slid down further in their seats as an angry Snape walked into the room. Hermione however, remained calm. 

As Snape came to a stop in front of the class, Hermione got up and made her way toward him. He turned around to see Hermione standing before him. "Granger, what are you…? He was surprised into silence when Hermione hugged him. Snape looked furious at first, but then his face softened after she whispered "thank you". Snape grimaced before reluctantly patting her on the back. "Go back to your seat," he said quietly. 

After Hemione sat down Snape realized that everyone in the classroom was staring at him. He quickly regained his composure and growled, "Why are you lot not continuing making the Strengthening Potion we started on last Friday?" Everyone hurriedly got out their cauldrons and supplies. "Ten points from Gryffindor!" 

No one even bothered mentioning that the Slytherins weren't prepared either. They were all too shocked at what they had just witnessed. Harry didn't know what was scarier, Hermione hugging Snape or Snape patting her on the back. For a moment he thought that maybe Snape did have a heart after all. Or at least an eighth of a heart.

****

            Sirius Black sighed as he folded up the letter he had just received from his godson that had been forwarded from Lupin's house. He glanced over at his two guests, sitting on a rock to his left. "My godson tells me that four 'hobbits' an 'elf' and a 'dwarf' showed up two days ago, at the school I told you about. He says they just appeared. Like you. Do you know them?" 

            Aragorn turned and looked at Gandalf, a look of shock on his face. If Gandalf was surprised by this, he certainly didn't show it. "Four hobbits, an elf, and a dwarf, you say? Yes, yes, that sounds like our companions we were traveling with before we were separated. But there were only two hobbits with us at that time."  Gandalf looked thoughtful. "Saruman's power is greater than I imagined," he said quietly. Sirius was curious. "Saruman?" Gandalf smiled, "The evil wizard that sent us here." Sirius grinned back, "It seems there is still much we don't know about each other and our cultures." "When will it be possible for us to see our companions?" Aragorn asked. Sirius sighed again, "That will be difficult. The majority of the teachers and students there don't really want me around, but I'll get to that in a moment. First, I have to write a letter to my godson…"

A/N~ Sorry for the short chapter. I will post the next chapter soon. 

~ Kettch

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****


	8. Ch 8: Abandoned

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. **

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings books/movies and the Harry Potter books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

**Ch. 8: Abandoned**

****

****

            "Lucius, I trust that all is in order."

            "Yes, m'lord." 

            Voldemort smiled. "Lucius, you have more of my trust than all other death eaters combined. I trusted you enough to make you my secret keeper when we performed the Fidilus Charm. I know you will keep the location of this lair safe, and I know that you will not tell anyone of our plans until it is time. That is why I have not punished you for your failure to kill the girl's parents. I trust you, Lucius, and I do not trust easily. Do not disappoint me again."

            "Of course not, m'lord." Something in the back of Lucius's head was still nagging him. "Do you suspect a traitor?"

            "I do indeed." Voldemort paused. "Arthur Weasley has become quite troublesome, hasn't he?"

            Lucius Malfoy snarled. "He was obviously tipped off. He was on his way home from the office, the muggles' house was completely in the opposite direction!"

            Voldemort smiled at Malfoy's sudden burst of anger. "No matter. All will be revealed in time, and you will be able. I will leave Weasley to you, but when the traitor is discovered, I will kill him myself." Voldemort chuckled to himself before addressing Lucius again. "You will temporarily be in charge of the death eaters. I'm going to go for a walk."

Lucius frowned, "A walk, m'lord?"

"A walk, Lucius." Voldemort stopped to watch the sun rise. "I will be back by nightfall."

Lucius Malfoy bowed and left. It was almost flattering that the dark lord trusted him so much, but he did not tell him everything. Lucius had a feeling the Voldemort was going to do more than just walk.

Tuesday morning breakfast was as hectic as ever. Legolas, Gimli, and the hobbits sat at the corner of the Gryffindor table, as usual. Gimli seemed to be having a great time, and had taken quite a liking to Butterbeer. Legolas was grateful for the hospitality as well, but was becoming increasingly worried about Gandalf and Aragorn. Frodo and Sam were nervous as well, but Merry and Pippin seemed to feel much better after Fred and George taught them how to play Exploding Snap. Legolas sighed as he watched Pippin finish his fifth plate of eggs. It was then that the owls arrived.

Owls flew into the great hall from every direction, dropping letters, parcels, and packages to the students.             

Harry Potter watched as Hedwig came to a stop in front of him. "Thanks, Hedwig," he said as he took the letter from her beak. "I was wondering where you were." Harry brightened when he saw that the letter was addressed in Sirius' handwriting. He quickly lowered his voice and whispered, "Ron, Hermione! Snuffles wrote back!" Hermione was very excited, but Ron was still staring at the front cover of his Daily Prophet. Wordlessly, he showed the cover to his friends. The headline read: 

'AZKABAN ABANDONED!'

Ron started reading out loud, "'This morning, the Ministry of Magic's monthly inspection of Azkaban prison revealed that all Dementors, the guards of Azkaban, seem to have abandoned their posts. The facility was thoroughly searched, but no sign of the dementors or their prisoners were found.'"

Before they had a chance to say anything, they were cut off by the urgent voice of Professor Dumbledore. "I will make this brief and to the point. Judging by the look on your faces I can assume most of you have already heard that the dementors have left Azkaban. I will assure you that this is no mistake. I have no doubt that they have left their post to join Voldemort."

At this, there was a wave of gasps and disbelief. Dumbledore raised a hand for silence once again. "I received this news earlier last night. The dementors will quickly become, once again, Voldemort's most dangerous allies. I have taken drastic measures by hiring a temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Whether he will stay or not is still undecided."

The teachers looked shocked. Professor Dumbledore had obviously not told them about this. Dumbledore called out to the back of the Great Hall, "You may enter!" The great doors swung open and the teacher stepped in. 

A/N ~ The only reason I am posting this at this moment is because I wanted to post SOMETHING! I haven't been able to work on this for a while so this is all I have at the moment. I'm expecting to have the next chapter up later this week, so keep checking back. I'm still trying to find a good time to bring Dobby in, but I think it will be soon. Also, in answer to an anonymous reviewer: I am not sure if I can work Haldir into the story. Already I've pretty much dropped the idea of bringing Boromir back. However, if I do find a way to bring Haldir into the story, it would be towards the end. I will try, but just don't get your hopes up. Who is the new DADA teacher? Find out next time…

           ~Kettch

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	9. Ch 9: The New Teacher

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  **Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. 

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from _The Lord of the Rings _books/movies and the _Harry Potter_ books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

**Ch. 9: The New Teacher**

            There was an eerie silence as Professor Remus Lupin stepped into the Great Hall. All eyes were on him as he walked toward the staff table. He smiled at Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they stared back at him, astonished. Harry finally managed to smile back.

            Snape, however, wasn't so pleased. "What is that _werewolf _doing here?!"

            Dumbledore answered coolly, "He is here because I have requested that he be the temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore stopped to glare at Snape. "And he has graciously accepted."

            Snape was shocked. "And, you did not see fit to consult the other teachers first?"

            "Drastic times call for drastic measures, Severus," Dumbledore said.

            Snape was on the verge of losing it. "The children's parents will not approve! He's a werewolf for crying out loud! He's dangerous, he's uncontrollable, and he's ---"

            "--- one of the most qualified wizards for the job I have ever known," Dumbledore said firmly as he narrowed his eyes at Snape. "Not to mention he specializes in Patronus Charms."

            "Headmaster, I must protest!" Snape exclaimed.

            "Severus, there will be no further discussion of this matter at this time! You know how serious this situation is!" Dumbledore shouted. 

            Everyone was stunned. No one had ever seen Albus Dumbledore lose it like this. However, no one was more shocked than Harry. He leaned over to Hermione and whispered, "I've never seen him like this before! What is he so upset about? We can fight off the dementors."

            Hermione spoke quietly, "I'm afraid it's not that easy, Harry. The dementors that attacked us at the end of our third year were only about a hundred or so! No one knows for sure how many dementors there are, but it's rumored that there were over eight hundred guarding Azkaban!"

            Harry's face paled. "Eight hundred?" he whispered.

            Hermioine nodded. "And if they truly have rejoined Voldemort and his death eaters, I honestly don't think we stand the slightest chance of being able to hold them off for long."

            Dumbledore regained his composure and raised a hand for silence before speaking. "I will address you all again when I have more information. You will pick up your new schedules at 3:00 this afternoon," he said before turning around and welcoming Professor Lupin. 

            Suddenly, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a soft voice in his ear. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but could you explain to me what is happening?"

            Harry turned to see Legolas looking at him questionably. Harry sighed a said, "Azkaban is a prison for wizards. The dementors that guard the prison have just all of a sudden disappeared. Professor Dumbledore thinks they left to join Voldemort."

            "The dark lord who recently returned to power?" Legolas asked.

            "Yeah. That's why everyone's panicking." Harry said. 

            Legolas looked thoughtful. "And what are dementors?"

            "Creatures you really don't want to meet. They suck the happiness out of any environment. They wear black cloaks so you can't see what's underneath." Harry decided against telling him about the Dementor's Kiss, because he really didn't want to think about that right now. "The Patronus Charm that Dumbledore mentioned, it's an anti-dementor spell. The only way of fending them off."

            "That sounds like a Nazgul to me, it does!" said Sam.

            Legolas and Harry turned to see that they were not alone in this conversation. Gimli, the hobbits, and Ron and Hermione were all listening intently. "Nazgul?" Ron asked.

            Pippin spoke up, "Ringwraiths. They've been tracking Frodo and Sam to…" Pippin suddenly stopped as if he had just started to say something he shouldn't. "Well, they… they're a lot like these demeanor things your talking about," Pippin quickly finished while Merry glared at him. 

            "Ah," Hermione said suspiciously. 

            Legolas turned back to Harry. "And the new teacher? Albus said he was a werewolf, but he looks nothing like the werewolves Gimli and I  killed in that Forbidden Forest."

            Gimli nodded.

            "You were attacked by werewolves in the Forbidden Forest and lived to tell about it?!" Ron exclaimed, astonished. 

            "Yes, indeed," Gimli said. "Never have I met an elf more accurate with a bow than Legolas here."

            Legolas smiled. "And never have I seen someone wield an axe as skillfully as Gimli."

            "Wicked!" Ron said in amazement.

            Harry chuckled. "Well, in answer to your question, the new teacher, we've had him before. He's a really great teacher. Two year ago, everyone found out that he was werewolf and he quit. Werewolves look like normal humans most of the time, but during a full moon they turn into the monsters that you fought."

            Legolas frowned. "I see. Well, as for the dementor issue, while we're here we will help in any way possible. 

            Harry smiled. Suddenly he remembered the letter he had just gotten from Sirius. "Can you excuse us for just a moment?" Harry asked Legolas.

            "Of course," Legolas replied.

            No one else noticed them leave except Remus Lupin.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly headed to the seclusion of the Gryffindor common room. As they rounded the corner, they saw something that they did not expect. The portrait hole that lead to the common room was wide open, the Fat Lady nowhere in sight. They quickly walked into the room to find… nothing. Everything was just as is was when they left. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione and they shrugged. They closed the portrait hole and sat down in a corner as Harry began to read the letter out loud:

_"'Dear Harry, _

_            It seem Hogwarts is not the only place where strange things are happening._ _In addition to the strangers you say showed up at the school, two more turned up in my cave on the same day you owled me. Sorry I've taken so long to reply to your last letter. Remus had to forward it from his house. I've moved closer to Hogwarts again to help Dumbledore keep an eye on things. _

_Anyway, these strangers, one says he is a man named Aragorn  and the other says he is a wizard called Gandalf the White and are companions of the others that were found. I don't think they are dangerous. They have also requested that I ask you to let their friends know that they are all right. I would like to bring them to the school but I don't know how or when I will be able to do that. I have already informed Dumbledore of this. Hopefully I will be able to see you soon._

_Your Godfather,_

Sirius Black'" 

Harry sighed, "We'd better tell Legolas and the others."

            "Yeah, someone's gonna be wondering where we are," Ron said.

            Hermione had an idea. "Harry, why don't you take a look at the Marauder's Map, to see if there are any teachers around."

            "Good idea," Harry said. 

            Harry pulled the Marauder's Map out of his robes right pocket, and gasped as he studied the map. "No, that's impossible!"

            Hermione looked worried. "What's wrong, Harry?"

            As Ron leaned in to get a better look at the map, Harry pointed to a dot on the map standing right outside the common room door… labeled _TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE. _

The three kids looked up at the portrait hole to see that it was once again wide open. Standing in the opening was none other than Voldemort himself. 

            "Hello, Harry," he hissed.

A/N ~ Chapter nine is finally done! Again, thank you all for being so patient and I hope you like this chapter. On another not, I am going to stop saying what I am going to write because I keep getting new ideas and am having a hard time working all of them in when I'd like to. With that in mind I will update as soon as possible. Catch ya later!

~ Kettch 


	10. Ch 10: Tensions Rise

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  **Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. 

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from _The Lord of the Rings _books/movies and the _Harry Potter_ books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

**Ch. 10: Tensions Rise**

****

****

            "Hello, Harry."

            "Voldemort!"

            Voldemort smiled as he heard the fear in Harry's voice and saw the terrified expressions on his friend's faces. "Surprised to see me?"

            "H-how did you get in here?" was all Harry could manage to say in answer.

            Voldemort mocked looking hurt. "Oh, come now, Harry. You know I have my ways." He withdrew his wand from the pocket of his robes. "I came to pay you a little visit, Harry Potter. I wouldn't want you to think I had forgotten you, now would I?" 

Voldemort laughed a cold high-pitched laugh that sent chills down Harry's spine. Harry had been so scared that he hadn't realized his scar had been burning the whole time. He grimaced as the pain in his forehead worsened.

Voldemort smiled. "Does it hurt, Harry? Does it hurt you to be so near me?"

Harry suddenly screamed in agony, and Hemione stepped forward. "Leave him alone! _Stupify!_" 

With a lazy wave of his wand, Voldemort blocked the spell, followed by a shout of, "_Expelliarmus!_" As he said the words, all three of the student's wands soared through the air and into his hand. To everyone's surprise, he smiled again. "Ah, yes, the mudblood. Ms. Granger, isn't it? I know all about you. A shame your parents didn't die that night my death eaters attacked your house. I was quite upset."

Hermione's clenched fists trembled with rage. "My parents are better people than you'll ever be, you egotistical, back-stabbing murderer!"

Voldemort stopped smiling now. "You, Ms. Granger, in the last four years, have become quite a thorn in my side as well. I will not deny that you are most intelligent for your age." He pointed his wand at Hermione's chest. "I think I'll kill you now and save Potter for later. Good bye, mudblood."

Hemione's eyes widened with horror as she stared into the cold, merciless gaze of Voldemort. 

Voldemort grinned. "_Avada Kada_---" THWACK!

He stopped grinning suddenly as he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Without flinching, he slowly reached behind his back, and plucked a long, feathered arrow from the wound. 

"Don't move," said a fair voice from behind him. Voldemort slowly turned around to see a very pissed looking Legolas and Gimli. 

"Ah, yes. The elf and the dwarf. I had a feeling you'd show up."

If Legolas and Gimli had been expecting any kind of retort, this was not it. "You know who we are?" Legolas asked, confused.

"Oh, yes, I've heard all about you… and your companions. I've been looking _very _forward to meeting you." Voldemort said.

"How?" Gimli demanded. "How do you know us?"

Voldemort grinned evily. "I heard about you from a new ally of mine. Perhaps you've heard of him. He goes by the name Sauron."

Legolas suddenly paled and Gimli gasped, "What did you say?!"

Voldemort sighed, "I am growing tired of this conversation. Goodbye." Suddenly he began to change. His body no longer represented that of a man, but a serpent. The snake's great red eyes glared at Harry as hissed a low quiet hiss. 

Suddenly, it darted across the room at impossible speed for a snake. "Legolas!" Gimli yelled. Legolas shot an arrow at it, but it had already rounded the corner. He followed the snake out through the portrait hole and around the corner just in time to see it disappear into a hole in the wall. 

"I can't believe it," Harry said as he, Ron, and Hermione ran up behind Legolas and Gimli. "He's an Animagus!" 

Legolas sighed. "That, I take it, was Voldemort?"

Harry nodded.

Legolas turned to Gimli. "If this Voldemort is truly in league with Sauron, then everyone is in worse danger than they could have possibly imagined! He didn't even stagger in the least when my arrow struck him!"

Gimli nodded grimly.

Hermione spoke up. "We should go tell the headmaster."

They all agreed. Suddenly, Legolas had a feeling that things had taken a turn for the worst.


	11. Ch 11: Delusional Fudge

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  **Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. 

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from _The Lord of the Rings _books/movies and the _Harry Potter_ books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

**Ch. 11: Delusional Fudge**

****

****

            All was quiet in the teacher's boardroom at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore sat at one end of the table while the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, sat at the other. Arthur Weasley and another ministry official at on either side of him. On one of the long sides sat Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin. (McGonagall sat between Snape and Lupin, of course) On the other side of the table sat Harry, Ron, Hermione, Legolas, and Gimli. Fudge was not very pleased. 

            So, Dumbledore. It seems that you are continuing to go behind my back. Again, it seems that you are determined to start a riot that will end the safety and security that the ministry has struggled to regain these last fifteen years. I have always respected you, Dumbledore, but this is madness!"

            Professor Dumbledore spoke quietly, but firmly. "Minister, Voldemort was in the castle. He has been revealed as an Animagus. I will not hide this danger from my students."

            Fudge's face reddened. "Again, man, I have seen no proof that Voldemort has really come back! The information comes from the same unreliable source as last time, and you know that the boy has a past history of being delusional!"

            It was McGonagall that came to Harry's defence. "Minister! Can you hear yourself? Mr. Potter was not the only one who saw he-who-must-not-be-named! There were four other witnesses!"

            "Which brings to mind another point!" Fudge said, quickly changing the subject. "These strangers popping out of nowhere! Bring the werewolf back without my permission! What else are you hiding from me, Dumbledore?!" 

            "Cornelius!" Dubledore shouted, astonished. "I am not hiding anything thing from you. I just did not see any reason to bring these issues to your attention. If you wish to help me try to stop Voldemort before he regains too much off his former power, I would welcome your help."

            Fudge shook his head. "I cannot believe you, man! You are still babbling on about the Dark Lord! This is nonsense!"

            Legolas glared at Fudge and spoke for the first time since the meeting began. "I don't know what power he had in the past, but I shot him in the shoulder with an elven arrow of Lorien, and he did not even flinch. That is not something that happens often." 

            Cornelius Fudge shrank back at Legolas' glare, but quickly found his voice. "I don't know what this 'Lorien' is that you speak of, but I have wasted enough of my precious time here." 

            Fudge bowed hastily in Dumbledore's direction and quickly left the room, followed by Mr. Weasley and the other official.

            After they were gone, everyone was quiet. Dumbledore sighed, "Something has gotten into Cornelius. I can't explain it, but he's different."

            "Bloody hell, he's different!" Ron shouted. "He's turned into a worthless bloke!"

            McGonagall glared at Ron.

            "Is it possible that he could be under an Imperius Curse?" Hermione asked.

            "An excellent idea, Ms. Granger. Dumbledore replied. "But, alas, no. The new Dark Magic Detectors that have been put up this year would have picked up on that. There is no way that dark arts could be used in this school without our knowing about it. We would have known as soon as the Minister entered the castle."

            "That is true Professor, however we also thought there was no way for He-who-must-not-be-named to enter the school either."

            Ron stared at Snape. He actually said something worthwhile!

            Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Well then," he said. "This gives us all something to think about."

            Lupin had remained quiet the entire time. He is starting to feel that he should not have come back.

The air high up in the mountains was very stale when Voldemort returned. It was Lucius, of course, that quickly greeted him. "Welcome back, m'lord. I trust that your walk was…enjoyable?"

            Voldemort chuckled to himself. "Yes, Lucius. It was very enjoyable." 

            Lucius suddenly felt a little uneasy, so he decided to change the subject. "Master, I have good news."

            "Go ahead."

            "The death eater count has reached the two hundred mark, and the Dementors will be joining us shortly," Lucius said with pride.

            Voldemort grinned. "Excellent. You have done well, my friend. You have redeemed yourself for your earlier failure."

            "You are most kind, m'lord, but there is one more thing…", Lucius said with a smile.

            "Yes?"

            "I have acquired the artifact you requested from The London Museum of Wizardry."

            At this, Voldemort froze. "Where is it?" he asked whispered quietly.

            Lucius turned around and shouted, "Wormtail! Bring it in!"

            Peter Pettigrew emerged from the cave behind the cliff carrying a long, thin box. He came to a stop in front of Voldemort. Kneeling, he bowed his head, and raised the box above his head.

            The box was black, and decorated with green and silver jewels. Embroidered along the side of the box were two long, silver snakes.

            Lucius said, "I was not able to remove the cover of the box, and make sure we had the right item." He slowly grinned. "I believe only a parselmouth can open it."

            Staring in awe, Voldemort leaned toward the box and hissed, "_Open!_" 

            The two silver snakes suddenly started to move. They slithered around to the top cover of the box and formed a border around it. Then, the box cover vanished, and the contents of the box were revealed. 

Inside, was a long, thin sword. Voldemort picked it up by the hilt and ran his finger along the blade. 

Voldemort looked up at Lucius. "Rally the death eaters and inform them that we will attack Saturday, at dawn." Lucius and Wormtail bowed and left. Then Voldemort went back to staring longingly at the sword. 

The sword looked very much like that of Godric Gryffindor. But this sword was different, much different. The name engraved on this sword, was _Salazar Slytherin_…

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	12. Ch 12: Dark Tidings

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  **Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. 

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from _The Lord of the Rings _books/movies and the _Harry Potter_ books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

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**Ch. 12:Dark Tidings**

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****

"The preparations are made, my lord. The attack will commence at dawn."

"Excellent. Once we take Hogwarts there will be nothing standing in our way."

"I have received word from the Dementors, my lord. They will arrive in a few days."

"No matter. Everyone will be dead by then anyway."

"And what of Dumbledore? He will not be easily defeated."

"Leave him to me, Lucius. You have your orders. Follow them and Hogwarts will be ours for the taking. But I am a good sport I will give them fair warning." 

Voldemort smiled. "However, I am not sure how much they will like my warning."

It was the last class, Friday, for Harry and his friends. This had been their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year and Harry was bored. They were, of course, learning Patronus Charms and Hermione seemed to be the only one who was having any luck (except Harry of course). 

As they neared the end of the class, Professor Lupin asked Harry to come up and demonstrate. The class sat in awe as a great, silvery stag shot out of the tip of Harry's wand. Everyone clapped and even Hermione was impressed. 

It was then, that the giant black owl flew through the window and dropped a letter right in front of Harry. Harry watched in amazement as the bird circled around the ceiling before suddenly exploding in a gush blood and feathers. 

As student screamed all around him, Harry suddenly felt a searing pain in his scar. Professor Lupin acted immediately and threw a handful of red powder into the classroom's fireplace. He summoned Dumbledore and began talking quickly. 

Harry, meanwhile, was looking at the letter. It was unmarked, but he had no doubt who it was from. He opened the letter and a thick cloud of black smoke rose from it. From within, came a hissing that only he could understand:

"Your end draws near, Potter. You have no idea how close death is. But fear not. You will be able to see your mudblood mother and gutless father again. Then, you can tell them 'hello' for me. No one can save you now. Not even Dumbledore. You have until dawn to prepare for an attack. You can be assured that I will be the last thing you will see before you die.

_Fair warning from the wizard who is going to kill you,_

Voldemort 

As the smoke cleared, the only thing that could be seen on the card inside, was the image of a glowing skull with a snake protruding from it's mouth: the Dark Mark.

Seconds later, Dumbledore burst intro the room, flanked by Snape and McGonagall. "What has happened?! Dumbledore shouted. 

"Voldemort's going to attack the school at dawn!" Harry shouted across the room.

Everyone in the room went silent. Suddenly, there was a flash of light as the letter caught fire and disintegrated. Dumbledore paled. "We have work to do."


	13. Ch 13: Preparing For Battle

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  **Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. 

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from _The Lord of the Rings _books/movies and the _Harry Potter_ books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

**Ch. 13: Preparing For Battle**

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****

            Hogwarts was in panic. Dumbledore had raised the alarm as soon as he had seen the terrified look in Harry's face. He knew Harry didn't scare easily, and the look in his eyes was enough to tell him that they were in trouble even before Harry spoke. It had only been an hour since he had raised the alarm and Arthur Weasley was already on his way with as many ministry wizards as he could sneak past Fudge. The teacher's board room was currently occupied by all of Hogwarts' frantic teachers. 

            While Dumbledore sat quiet in thought, Snape addressed the teachers. "There are too many of them. At least two hundred. You-know-who has gained much power in the last few months. I see no hope of surviving this attack."

            Flitwick squealed, "But that is impossible, Severus! He couldn't possibly have been able to conjure over two hundred followers in less than four months! Only a select few even know that he has come back!"

            Snape snarled. "Do you doubt that I have seen them with my own eyes? I was there! And furthermore, I believe he suspects me of being the traitor!"

            Everyone went silent. A soft voice spoke from the back of the room. "We may have one chance."

            All the teachers turned around to look at Legolas. He and Gimli had been invited to the meeting due to their experience with war.

            "Then what do you suggest we do, Master Elf?" Snape asked in a slow, monotonous tone. 

            Legolas said, "The castle is vast. It has many rooftops and many towers. We may be able to take them by surprise."

            Snape leaned forward and clasped his hands underneath his chin. "We're listening."

            Legolas looked at Dumbledore and smiled. "Do you have flyers?"

            Dumbledore looked thoughtful once more, and suddenly smiled. "Minerva, please bring me the captains of the four Quidditch teams."

            Three pairs of eyes watched from the mouth of a small cave in the mountains behind Hogsmeade.

            Aragorn could sense tension in the air. Gandalf slowly exhaled. 

            "What is it," Sirius asked.

            "Something is happening," Aragorn whispered softly.

            The plans had been made at Hogwarts. All students, third year and above, would fight. The Hobbits would stay with the underclassed students in the dungeons. Legolas and Gimli were getting very frustrated. They found Professor Dumbledore in his office (McGonagall had given them a temporary password). Legolas and Gimli bowed as they entered the room. "Professor, if there is anything that we can do to aid in the upcoming battle, we are at your service," Legolas said.

            "We wish to do something of use. My axe is restless and does not wish to stand by and do nothing."

            Dumbledore smiled grimly. "You have my sincerest appreciation, my friends, but there is nothing much you can do. No matter how skillful you are with your bow and axe, your weapons are useless against a host of trained wizards with wands that can take you down from any distance. Another problem is that our world is not quite like yours. My first priority, of course, is the safety of my students. I want to defeat Voldemort as much as anybody here, but I want to do so with as little bloodshed as possible. We are aiming to stun and disable, not kill unless necessary."

            Legolas sighed and nodded. "I understand. But is there nothing we can do?"

            "I am afraid not," Dumbledore said regretfully. 

            "Very well. Come, Gimli. We will help with the preparations."

            Just as they were about to step through the doorway, a voice spoke from behind, "Wait."

            Legolas and Gimli turned to face Dumbledore. 

            "There may be something you can do."

A/N: Finally! I finally did it! The next chapter will be much longer then the previous few so it may be a while. But come on! Three chapters in a week is a new record for me.

            First, I'll try to answer a few questions as fast as possible: 

Legolas will not be gay! I do not want to die at the hands of hundreds of vicious fan girls. Again, Voldemort was able to sneak into the school because no one had any idea that he was an Animagus. (He slipped in through a hole in the wall) Gandalf, Aragorn and Sirius will be back again in the next chapter. I am not sure whose side Gollum will be on yet. He may switch back and forth. I have dropped the idea of bringing Boromir back. In answer to Misastar's question: No! Snape did not find a cure for his PMS! Caramina von Srade: "Kettch, you…you… YOU INSIGNIFICANT EWOK PUPPET! GIMME MORE STORY! NOW!" Thank you! Someone know where I got my screen name from! (sorry, just had to throw that in there) What about Theoden and the warriors? The members of the fellowship (plus Gollum) are the only ones that got transported. 

Well, I will have the next chapter posted as soon as possible. Until then, keep the reviews comin'!

The insignificant ewok puppet,

Kettch


	14. Ch 14: The Battle, Part I: Hell At Hogwa...

**~**                                                                                                                           **~**

**Disclaimer:  **Nope, I still do not own any of the characters in this fanfic, except Emily Malfoy and Megan Jones (possibly more in the future). I used to own all of the characters… but then I woke up…Sadly that means I still do not own Gollum, for I find him quite hilarious. 

**~**                                                                                                                          **~**

~ This fanfic contains spoilers from _The Lord of the Rings _books/movies and the _Harry Potter_ books. ~

---------- Rated: PG-13 for violence and mild sexual reference. ----------

**Two Heroes, Two Villains, One Ring**

****

Ch. 14: The Battle, Part I: Hell At Hogwarts 

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Time passed quickly. An hour seemed like a minute. A minute seemed like a second. Hogwarts was running out of time. 

The final preparations were completed only 30 minutes before the attack. It was an absolute miracle that they still had any hope at all after their first sight of Voldemort's army, for it was much larger than even Snape expected. In the last few days, the death eater count had reached 350. This was an extremely dangerous threat even though the number of Hogwarts residents more than doubled the number of death eaters. The numbers were about like this: 350 Death Eaters vs. 800 Hogwarts residents. (A/N: this is an approximate estimate) This was, of course, cut down to about 500 Hogwarts residents when the younger students were excluded.

Legolas, who had the keenest eyes, stood on look out atop one of the highest towers.  He could hear marching in the distance. This was no army of careless, inexperienced criminals. No, these were trained fighters. Trained to kill. 

Déjà vu hit him as he realized he was once again standing on a wall looking down at an onslaught waiting to happen. 

At the crack of dawn, the attackers were in sight. Legolas shouted the warning as the first of them appeared.  He readied an arrow as the first of them cam into view. Suddenly, he smiled to himself. He would have to thank Hermione for placing that multiplication charm on his quiver of arrows. Every time he spent an arrow, another would appear in his place. He was beginning to wish he had slept in this morning

The death eaters had marched _around _Hogsmeade and came from a completely different direction than expected. They marched right through the Forbidden Forest. Cloaked and masked figures began to pour from the edge of the forest like a swarm of locusts. At the head of the swarm was one figure that was not wearing a mask. A black sheath for a sword hung at his left hip. It was Voldemort. 

All was quiet when the death eaters stopped marching to stare at the castle. Voldemort quickly addressed his troops. "Stay alert there will be people on the roofs. Leave no one alive."

Lucius Malfoy grimaced. "What about my children?"

Voldemort smiled. "Do you think they are worth keeping alive, Lucius?"

Lucius Malfoy spoke truthfully. "The boy could be of use. In time, the girl could be turned as well."

"Then I will leave you to handle that, my friend. Do as you see fit. But if they interfere, I will kill them myself," Voldemort said, grinning wider then ever. 

Lucius nodded. 

Voldemort stepped forward and yelled, "Death eaters! Attack!"

This said, the battle begun. The death eaters charged toward the school, completely unaware that they had just walked into an ambush. 

The death eaters were almost 300 yards from the school when 24 broom-mounted students flew out from behind various towers, walls, and rooftops. The flyers scattered and then came together again to form four groups of seven. The four groups were, in fact, the house Quidditch teams. 

The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams circled around behind the death eaters while Slytherin and Gryffindor  attacked from the front. Death eaters began to scatter and franticly shoot spells into the air, which the flyers easily dodged. The death eaters were forced to resort to blocking and deflecting as stunning spells rained down on them. It was at this time that two things happened at once. With a great cry of "_HOGWARTS FOREVER!_" hundreds of students sprung from behind tower walls and rooftops, shooting more stunning spells. At the same time, teachers, ministry wizards, and seventh year students began to pour from the castle's main gates and engage the death eaters head on. 

Voldemort was enraged. In the midst of his fury, his eyes quickly scanned the air for Harry. He found him quick enough, and took careful aim as the boy zoomed overhead. Voldemort's full concentration was on Harry as his wand arm tracked him and followed him, waiting for the right time. 

Harry paused in midair for a moment, surveying the area. Voldemort saw his chance. He saw his chance, but almost did not see the arrow fly from one of the castle towers. Voldemort dove and rolled out of the way just in time to see Legolas' arrows whiz past where his left shoulder would have been. 

He looked all about the rooftops and the towers for the Elf, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

Spells continued to rain down from the sky and rooftops. Voldemort got back on his feet and yelled, "Scatter! Draw them away and kill them one by one! KILL THEM ALL!" 

Jets of bright light flew from all directions as Harry circled the death eaters, looking for any that let their guard down, when he heard a yell to his right. "Captains, form up on me!"

Harry rolled to the right and flew ahead until was parallel with Draco Malfoy, on his left. Cho Chang (Ravenclaw) and Austin Swales (the new Hufflepuff captain) came to a position behind and to either side of Harry and Draco. Together, the four Quidditch captains launched themselves towards the mass of attacking death eaters.

Lucius Malfoy smiled beneath his black mask as the four children flew past him. As they circled around for another pass, he aimed his wand and shouted, _"Stupify!"_

As the captains prepared to dive bomb the death eaters again, a stunning spell shot out of the attacker's midst at surprising speed. The spell hit Draco directly in the chest and he tumbled off his broom.

Cho screamed and then suddenly gaped in awe as Harry barrel rolled to the right and dove head first toward the ground, trailing Draco's unconscious body at impossible speed. 

Harry swerved and dodged spells shot by the death eaters all the while maintaining his speed and accelerating faster still. He quickly caught up with Draco and, to the amazement of all others who were watching this, jerked up on the nose of the broom, bringing it parallel with the ground and activating the Firebolt's auto-brakes. In the few seconds it took for the Firebolt to slow down, Harry lunged forward and swung himself around the broom so that he was dangling upside down by his legs. He reached his arm out and grabbed Draco Malfoy by the wrist just as the broom came to a complete stop, fifty feet above the ground. 

With the help of cover fire from the rest of the teams, Harry managed to pull Draco and himself up and onto the broom, sitting Draco in front of him. That being done, Harry sped towards the roof of the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey was busy tending to wounds. 

Harry left Draco in her care and was about to fly back to the battle when someone shouted his name. Harry looked up to see Megan Jones flying toward him, carrying a broom in her hand. It was Draco's Nimbus 2001.

"I caught it after it spun out of control when he fell." 

Harry tried to laugh but found his mouth very dry. "He'll be happy about that."

"We'd better hurry back," Megan said, watching the battle.

"Yeah, let's go."

            The tables had turned. The death eaters were slowly but surely being driven back to the forest. Voldemort, however, was not about to give up. Since the battle begun, he had gone from mad to furious. Every time he was about to shoot a spell, the Elf shot an arrow at him and he was forced to dodge. What made him even madder was that it seemed each time the Elf was shooting from a different location. 

The Quidditch teams had formed one group again and suddenly a plan came to him. He whirled around and aimed his wand at a tall blonde haired student, and as expected, an arrow shot from the castle top. This time Voldemort was expecting it and saw where it came from.  With a yell of, _"INCENDIO EXTREMUS!"_ a giant fireball shot from the Dark Lord's wand and collided with the tower the Legolas was shooting from.

The tower broke off from the castle and came crashing to the ground. Voldemort smirked before turning to face the incoming Quidditch teams. "Enough of this," he said to himself. With a swish of his wand, he shouted, _"IMMOBULIUS INFERNO!" _

A shockwave flew from Voldemort's wand and hit all four Quidditch teams, freezing their bodies and minds. As they floated freely and carelessly in the air, a small white orb rocketed past them and exploded in a ball of fire not far behind them. 

Albus Dumbledore watched in horror as 28 students fell from the sky. In the blink of an eye, he pointed his wand to the air and shouted a spell that was indistinguishable among all the yelling. The students began to slow down in midair and came to a rough landing in the grass in front of the gate. The brooms were completely obliterated. Many students were injured. The rest were dead.

Dumbledore's voice was heard above everyone else's as he shouted, "Get them to safety!" The bodies were hoisted into the air and carried into the castle. Dumbledore turned to follow, but his path was blocked by none other than Voldemort himself. 

Things had taken a turn for the worst. The death eaters had regained confidence and were forcing the residents of Hogwarts back into the castle. The fight was hopeless. Only more lives would be lost by resisting, but still they did not give up. The students had abandoned their position on the walls and towers when Voldemort summoned a barrier that would block all spells coming from the roof. 

The casualties were evaluated as soon as they were in the great hall. Megan Jones had been killed in the blast, along with Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell for Gryffindor. Hufflepuff had lost their entire team except for it's captain, while Cho Chang and two chasers were the only remaining Ravenclaws. The Slytherins were the furthest from the so blast so most of their team was there except for the keeper. However, all of them suffered from many broken bones and concussions. 

Harry Potter, on the other hand, remained unscathed. On his way back to the battle he stopped to fire a spell at a pair of death eaters that had cornered a student while Megan flew on ahead. He managed to save the student in time but the delay had saved himself from being caught in the explosion. 

Harry hurried into the great hall as fast as he could and found Ron and Fred huddled over George, who was in worse shape than any of the other survivors. He had landed directly on his leg when he fell and had almost completely shattered it. Aside from other various broken bones, he was unconscious due to blood loss. Ron had a nasty looking cut on his forehead and a few cracked ribs, but was ok otherwise. Fred was in decent shape besides several minor cuts and bruises. 

Harry was speechless. Never did he think he would have to witness this. Seeing his friends, fellow students and teachers dying all around him. "This is all my fault," he said quietly.

Ron looked up. "Don't you dare say that, Harry! There's no way you could've stopped this from happening!"

"Ron, you don't understand," Harry started. "He's not here to kill everyone. He's here for me! He wants revenge on me!."

Harry slowly stood up. "I know what I have to do." Harry drew his wand and ran out the door and froze at what he saw.

"Albus Dumbledore. It's been a long time."

"It certainly has, Tom."

Voldemort's voice shook with rage. "That name, no longer has any connection to me!"

Both wizards drew their wands and stepped closer. Both wizards raised their wands and held them out in front as a silent challenge. Dumbledore bowed as Voldemort did the same.

"Now we will see who is the more powerful wizard. Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin, or Albus Dumbledore, King of Muggles and Mudbloods," Voldemort said with a grin.

"We will see," Dumbledore said gravely.

Both turned about face and began walking in the opposite direction. Then, they came to a stop a few yards apart before whirling around and facing each other. There was no referee. No one to make sure Voldemort played fair. Dumbledore knew this, and that was the reason he made sure he turned around before his opponent. 

Dumbledore shot the first spell, and the duel began. Dumbledore shot a stunning spell at Voldemort, which was easily blocked. He blocked two more spells before yelling, _"Ramathca Subaito!" _followed by _"Arinia Exhibay!" _Voldemort remained on the offensive while Dumbledore defended himself the best he could. 

Drumbledore was growing tired as he blocked one spell after another. Voldemort was toying with him, wearing him down until he could not fight anymore, and Dumbledore knew it. With a shout of _"Destructo!" _a spark of red light shot from Voldemort's wand and hit Dumbledore in the leg, snapping the bone in half.

At last, Voldemort decided to end the battle. With a smirk on his face and a wand in the air, he shouted, _"Crucio!"_

Students screamed as the headmaster twitched and jerked on the ground. After a decent dose of pain, Voldemort lowered his wand and smiled. 

With a sudden burst of energy despite the blinding pain in his leg, Dumbledore rolled over and pointed his wand at Voldemort. _"Demolio!"_

Voldemort's legs few out from under him and he fell to the ground. "I grow tired of this game!" he yelled as he got to his feet. _"Avada Ka---"_

He never finished the spell. Once more, an arrow flew out from the castle. This one, however, found it's mark. The arrow hit Voldemort directly in the chest, just below the neck. 

Voldemort didn't flinch. Enraged, he plucked the out the arrow and turned to see Legolas standing amid the rubble of the castle he had fallen from. 

As Voldemort was about to shoot a spell, a shout rang out from the gate. 

_"Ricktu Sempra!" _Harry screamed.

The dark lord was sent flying ten feet into the air before crashing back down to the ground. 

Harry yelled, "Somebody help him!" before turning to face Voldemort.

Suddenly, hordes of students, teachers, and ministry hit wizards, led by Arthur Weasley, burst of the castle and charged the death eaters. Dumbledore's leg was splinted and he was carried back into the castle by medics. The death eaters were taken aback by the sudden viciousness of this attack. Hogwarts would not go down quietly. With renewed vigor and inspiration, Hogwarts managed to draw the death eaters away from Harry and Voldemort, who stood in the middle of the frenzy, waiting for the other to make a move.

Voldemort called out to the death eaters, "Draw them away! The boy is mine!"

Slowly he turned and smiled at Harry. "I've waited a long time for this, Harry."

An arrow flew towards Voldemort, but this one he blocked. Then he whirled on Legolas and shouted, "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_

Legolas' bow lifted into the air and flew towards the top of the castle and settled on the window sill of the astronomy tower. 

Voldemort growled, "If you want it, I suggest you hurry and get it."

He then turned back to Harry just in time to see a stunning spell fly at him. Voldemort ducked and shot a speel back at Harry, "_Expelliarmus!" _Harry's wand sailed through the air and landed in Voldemort's outstretched hand. 

Harry knew then that it was over. He was going to die. But… something very unexpected happened. Harry's right hand started tingling and then began to glow. Slowly, a metal object began to materialize in his hand. The metal object soon became the hilt of a sword, and then, a blade sprouted out of the hilt. Harry stared in shock at the sword that he now held in his hand. It was Godric Gryffindor's sword.

Voldemort stared in silence. When he found his voice, he smiled again and said, "So, you wish to die a more painful death, do you? Very well."

Voldemort pocketed his and Harry's wand, and drew his sword. Harry held the sword out in front of him. 

Harry suddenly lunged with the sword, but was easily blocked. Harry swung again, this time aiming for the head, but was blocked again and shoved to the ground. Harry stabbed, slashed, and thrusted, but to no avail. Voldemort parried every one of them while trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. 

"I grow tired of this, Harry." With a sudden blur of movement, Voldemort slashed the sword upward, knocking Harry's sword from his hand. As Gryffindor's sword fell to the ground, time seemed to slow for Harry as he saw what was about to happen. With a quick thrust, Voldemort stabbed his sword through Harry's left shoulder. Harry screamed in agony as he fell to his knees. 

There was a sound of powerful wings in the air and shouting all around and somewhere amid the noise, a gruff but happy voice yelled, "Beaky!" Voldemort payed no attention. Voldemort stared into Harry's bright green eyes, much as he had before he killed Lily Potter, and leaned forward to speak softly into Harry's ear, "It's time to join you parents, Potter. Goodbye." 

Voldemort took a step back a swung the blade as hard as he could toward the helpless boy's neck… only to be blocked by _Anduril, the Flame of the West_!

A/N: This has to be my best and longest chapter ever! Please read and review! Also, please let know if I screwed anything up. I will edit this chapter later if needed. Until then, keep your eye open for Ch. 15: The Battle, Part II: The Turn of the Tide!

P.S.~ For those of you who have read _The Lord of the Rings _books and know what _Anduril _is, you should have an idea of what is to come in the next chapter… J

~ Kettch

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